Latch



y 1 A v. CARD 2,160,303

LATCH Filed May 51, 1958 INVENTOR. ARTHUR 1/. CARD 7 Patented May 30, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT ornce LATCH Application May 31, 1938, Serial No. 210,885

11 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved automatic latch for dump gates and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide an automatic latch for gates of dump bodies on railway cars, motor trucks or the like, that will release the gate when the body is tipped for dumping.

Another object is the provision of such a latch that will automatically and positively lock the gate against opening when the dump body is returned to its normal hauling position.

A further object is to provide such a latch that is proof against unauthorized tampering.

Other objects and advantages reside in details of design and. construction which will be more fully disclosed in the following description and in the drawing wherein like parts have been similarly designated and in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation partly in section, of a railway mine dump car that is equipped with an automatic latch that embodies this invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view on line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view on line 3-3 of Figure 1, and drawn to a larger scale.

In the drawing, to illustrate a typical application of the invention, reference character 5 denotes the running gear of a railway dump car, that carries a tipping dump body 6 that is pivoted thereto at Go for dumping purposes. The example illustrated, is a Gramby type dump car that is provided with a side wheel I that rides up on an inclined track 8 to tip the body as illustrated in Figure 1.

The body has a side gate 9 that is hinged at l0, and a dumping lip at I2. An undercut notch I3 is provided on the gate and it is adapted to be engaged and held by a latch or detent I4 on a bellcrank l5 that is pivoted to the body at IS. A connecting rod or link I! is pivoted to an arm of the bellcrank l5 at Ila, and it is also pivoted at l8 to a movable arm l9 that is pivotally attached to the body at 20. A guide 2| bridges the arm l9 to retain it in its normal position and to limit its arcuate movement about is pivot 20.

Adjacent the lower end of the pivotal arm I9 is a cam follower which, in the instant illustration, is a roller 22. Carried on the running gear 5 is a grooved cam or contact element 23 that has a high point 24 and an undercut portion 25. The cam element is thus stationary relative to the body and to the latch-operating mechanism and it is positioned and adapted to engage and to operate the follower 22, to release the latch through the intermediary of the illustrated mechanism, when the body is tipped or i moved from its normal hauling position and also to reciprocate the mechanism when the body is returned toits normal hauling position, to again latch and lock the gate.

As the body is tipped upwardly about its pivot 6a, the follower 22 rides over high point 24 of the grooved cam 23, which moves the latch or detent [4 out of engagement with the gate, permitting the latter to swing open. When the body is returned to its normal position the latch is again reciprocated to admit the element E3 on the gate, into engagement position and as the follower 22 is pulled down along the undercu portion 25, of the cam element, the latch is moved to engage the gate and it is held and locked in that position as long as the body is in its normal or hauling position.

Obviously, the bell-crank l5 could be operated in a substantially horizontal plane instead of the vertical plane illustrated, and equivalent resultswould be effected. It is further obvious that mechanism embodying this invention can be used on all manner of tipping dump bodies for controlling the latching of the dump gates on either sideor end-dump railway cars, motor truck dump bodies or any similar hauling and dumping unit. Much'time and labor is thus saved by having the release of the gate under automatic control and the gate is always safely closed and locked when the body is in its hauling position, preventing premature or accidental dumping, or spilling, or stealing of the load, which, in the case of mine ore, may be very valuable.

While this specification discloses preferred means for reducing the present invention to practioe and a preferred embodiment of the invention, changes may occur to those skilled in the art and may be made within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus of the character described, latching mechanism for the gate of a dump body or the like, and a relatively stationary cam element positioned and adapted to engage and reciprocate the latching mechanism when the dump body is raised from its normal position and when said body is returned to its normal position,

2. A gate latch for a car or the like having a running gear and a dump body inclusive of a gate, comprising a movable latch on the body engageable with the gate, mechanism connected with the latch for automatically locking and releasing its engagement with the gate, and a grooved cam on the running gear positioned and adapted for operating the mechanism when the car is moved from its normal hauling position, and for locking the latch in engagement with said gate when the car is in its normal position.

3. An automatic latch for a gate on a dump body or the like comprising, a bellcrank having a detent, mounted on the body and engageable with the gate, a pivotal arm, a link connecting the arm with the bellcrank, and a relatively stationary grooved cam positioned and adapted to engage and to operate the arm when the body is tipped from its normal hauling position, to re lease the gate. I

4. An automatic latch for a gate on a dump body or the like comprising, a bellcrank having a detent, mounted on the body and engageable with the gate, a pivotal arm, a roller on the arm, a link connecting the arm with the bellcrank, and a relatively stationary grooved cam positioned and adapted to engage the roller to operate the arm when the body is tipped from its normal hauling position for releasing the gate.

5. An automatic latch for a gate on a dump body or the like comprising, a bellcrank having a detent, mounted on the body and engageable with the gate, a pivotal arm, a roller on the arm, a link connecting the arm with the bellcrank, and a relatively stationary grooved cam positioned and adapted to engage the roller to operate the arm when the body is tipped from its normal hauling position, for releasing the gate, and to engage and lock the gate closed when the body is returned to its normal hauling position.

6. An automatic latch for a gate on a dump body or the like comprising, a bellcrank having a detent, mounted on the body and engageable with the gate, a pivotal arm, a link connecting the arm with the bellcrank, and a relatively stationary grooved cam positioned and adapted to engage the arm to hold the detent in locked engagement with the gate when the body is in its normal hauling position.

7. An automatic latch for a gate on a dump body or the like comprising a normally locked reciprocating latch mechanism, inclusive of a cam follower, and a relatively stationary cam element positioned and adapted to engage the follower to reciprocate the mechanism when the body is moved from its normal hauling position.

8. An automatic latch for a gate on a dump body or the like comprising a normally locked reciprocating latch mechanism, inclusive of a cam follower, and a reatively stationary cam element positioned and adapted to engage the follower to reciprocate the mechanism when the body is moved from its normal hauling position, and also when the body is returned to its normal position.

9. An automatic latch for a gate on a dump body or the like comprising a normally locked reciprocating latch mechanism, inclusive of a cam follower, and a relatively stationary cam element positioned and adapted to engage the follower to release the mechanism when the body is moved from its normal hauling position, and also to engage and lock the gate when the body is returned to its normal position.

10. An automatic latch for a gate on a dump body or the like comprising a normally locked reciprocating latch mechanism, inclusive of a cam follower, and a relatively stationary cam element positioned and adapted to engage the follower to release the mechanism when the body is moved from its normal hauling position.

11. In apparatus of the character described, inclusive of movable latching mechanism for the gate of a movable dump body or the like, a relatively stationary undercut cam element positioned and adapted to engage and lock said latching mechanism when the dump body is moved to its normal position.

ARTHUR V. CARD. 

